Russia has revived its Stalin-era SMERSH counter-espionage unit amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The organisation was believed to have formed secretly in 1941, amid the Second World War, and it served as a counter-intelligence group whose purpose was to root out anti-Communist spies from within the Soviet ranks. It received its name from the Russian words “Smert’ shpiónam” – “Death to Spies.”
Officially this agency was dissolved in 1946, with its duties being transferred to other Russian intelligence organisations. The group is best known for featuring as some of the main antagonists in Ian Fleming’s James Bond books.
However, this week the UK’s Ministry of Defence claimed in an “intelligence update” that Russian “operatives” had been seen wearing the SMERSH insignia on their uniforms.
“In late 2023, Russian politicians claimed that the Soviet counter-intelligence (CI) organisation ‘SMERSH’ was being re-established,” the Ministry said, referring to comments made by Andrey Gurulyov, a Russian Duma member and former military commander in December.
“In early January 2024, an open-source image showed operatives apparently wearing SMERSH uniform patches.”
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 08 January 2024.
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/URCt1exABm #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/Eba74VLNpn
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) January 8, 2024
The update added that this was an attempt by Russian authorities to frame the Ukraine war in the context of World War 2.
“It is unclear whether the new name indicates any substantive new capabilities or role for Russia’s CI function, or whether it is merely a re-badging,” the Defence Ministry wrote.
“However, it provides another example of how the Russian authorities consciously couch the Russia-Ukraine conflict in the spirit of the Second World War, and their strong focus on the supposed infiltration of external threats into the country.”
Russia has consistently compared its war in Ukraine with the Second World War, pointing to the presence of neo-Nazi groups in the country such as the infamous Azov Battalion as a need to “de-Nazify” Ukraine.